Macadamia orchards and Beehives

Growing macadamia is a long term sustainable solution. Macadamia orchards also provide an ideal habitat for bees. Building beehives has benefits for people and the trees.

Since macadamia takes six years to produce income, there is a need for shorter term livelihood support; farmers need shorter term incomes. Income Generating Activities's (IGA's) bridge the gap. In order to bridge the gap between planting macadamia and it's production of nuts interim activities have been developed.

Training and resources have been extended for running and maintaining fish ponds and for fish farming. Skills in bread making, carpentry and working with tin have been developed.
A very successful IGA, or Income Generating Activity, which has been promoted by SUNESMA, has been bee keeping. The carpentry sector in Neno has had a boost with a great demand for beehives. The hives are wooden boxes some five feet long and eighteen inches in cross section, often painted green. These are hung in macadamia orchards or local forests. In orchards they benefit flower pollination and thus increase cropping. Sales of honey from the SUNESMA offices are flourishing.

Such foresight allows realistic flexibility and practical self sufficiency as farmers wait for the greater crop of nuts to be harvested and marketed.